Personal communication devices, such as mobile radio telephones, pagers, and the like, allow individuals on the go to instantly receive important communications. Many such devices are operable to receive alphanumeric messages, including electronic mail messages, and text based short messages. Oftentimes, an individual user is notified of an incoming message by an audible alert, such as a ring or beep, or by a silent alert mechanism, such as a vibrator or flashing light, which is preferred when operating in environments where an audible alert would not be appropriate. Upon receipt of this notification, a user typically accesses the device to retrieve the incoming message.
A problem exists when a user is unable to access a communication device to retrieve an incoming message. For example, environmental or physical impediments may prevent a user from immediately retrieving a message, and thus valuable time may transpire while the message remains undelivered. It would be desirable to have a communication system which could be enabled to deliver a message to the user under circumstances which do not permit the user to access the receiving communication device to retrieve the message. This is particularly needed for retrieving alphanumeric messages. Therefore, a new personal communication system with an alternative message retrieval system is needed.